Rebecca LopezKriss

Director of Business Development, Dynamic Edge, Inc

Why he lives in metro Detroit: My overall devotion to the city of Detroit stems from my mother’s influence. Although I grew up in Warren, just north of Eight Mile, we often went to the DIA, the Science Center, and The Honey Bee Market in Southwest Detroit. My mother bought concert series tickets to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and I vividly remember watching the restoration of Orchestra Hall. As an adult, I attended the University of Detroit Mercy, lived in Detroit and later Hamtramck, and was smitten by Detroit’s nightlife and energy. As an enthusiastic and optimistic college graduate, Detroit was my oyster. It was a heartbreaking decision to take a job in Ann Arbor, and leave my flat in Hamtramck. Until I discovered that Ann Arbor is actually pretty cool too, and it really is not that far away from my friends still living in the City. And Ann Arbor really should be considered a vital part of the puzzle to Metro Detroit’s revitalization. Now, if I could just convince more people that job growth and opportunity DO exist in Metro Detroit, that auto-industry job losses in a post-manufacturing economy are not the only narrative about our city, then prevailing attitudes about the region would be very different. I think I stay for just this challenge. If I could make Detroit more appealing to others under age 30, I would hope to see more housing for adults. Especially in a college town, where renting is for college kids, I wish there were more rentals for young professionals who are past their kegger days. As an unapologetic DINK living in Ann Arbor, I am not interested in buying a house in a suburb that has neither a pedestrian ethos nor a discernable downtown. Hypothetically, as a demographic, I am not really interested in buying a house. Maybe next week I want to move to a rental loft in downtown Detroit to start my own consulting business? And the week after that, rehab an historic house in Woodbridge and start a bed and breakfast. Metro Detroit is a great place to raise a family, but that is not what I am looking for while I am under 30. As I gain more experience, and have a better understanding of the hard work that will be necessary to revitalize the region, Detroit is still my oyster. However, now things are different with age and experience –I am now better equipped to recognize the many opportunities in the region, and find my niche in the next generation of Detroiters.